Random is an understatement

In this wacky crazy world I met an amazing man on a random game of Words With Friends (WWF). For those of you that are not familiar with WWF it is a scrabble type game played on your phone. You can challenge friends or create random games. So a year ago I created several random games....I needed to feed my new addiction! I wasn't very good in the beginning and lost many games, but I was in it for the fun and didn't care.

So, after losing a game I re-matched my opponent and we played again...I lost...again...then re-matched...etc. On WWF there is a chat board that you and your opponent can comment back and forth during your game. After several games with this random person I sent a message inquiring about his (didn't know it was a man at first) location. When you play random games you could end up playing your neighbor or someone in another country..hence the randomness. David lived in Houston.

We continued to play over the next few weeks with comments back and forth. He and I realized that we have a lot in common! We both love to cook, drink wine and one day want to live by the ocean.

Well...to make a long story short, after several weeks we decided to meet face to face. Last October I flew to Texas and had a great weekend.....and now we are planning a future together!

I am so glad I re-matched him that day, so glad I took a leap of faith!

More Traveling Tales

So...back to my tales of traveling. I was not home from my trip to Miami long when it was time to saddle up again and head back out of town. This time was a girls trip. Kailie, Emily and I along with Kailie's BFF Meggan, and her sister Rachel and their mom Robyn packed up and headed to Hilton Head. My sister-in-law (at the time-technically now just my best friend) Dani was already there waiting on our arrival!
After a long, funny, scary at times, in the back roads of South Carolina because the GPS obviously wanted us to have an adventure type drive...we arrived!!! The beer was cold and waiting for us!! The young girls headed to their rooms and the 3 of us adults (I use that term loosely) talked and laughed until the wee hours of the morning. Robyn and I told Dani of our interesting drive and how we ran over a dead deer. Oh the laughs we got from that over the next few days! It was a wonderfully relaxing time. Dani, Robyn and I did have a mom's night out one evening. I must admit when I woke up the next morning I felt like I had done hundreds of sit ups because my stomach and sides hurt so bad from laughing.
I am very excited because we already have the next annual girls trip to Hilton Head on the calendar for this year!!

Next stop...RI! I think I actually spent 2 weeks at home before my next trip. The annual pilgrimage back home...always wonderful, full of friends, family and fun! The 3 F's! (not the other one) I was very fortunate this year..my friend Katie got us tickets to go see a Red Sox game at Fenway! We arrived in Boston a few hours before the game started. We walked and talked and had a great time. It had been decades since I had been to a Red Sox game, ironically they were playing the same team they played the first and only other time I had been there. The Sox did not win...but it was a blast!

The first few days there were a little cool, but then the weather changed and turned into the fabulous New England weather for that time of year.
I got a great deal on a hotel in Providence. The location was great, the staff was friendly and the bed was so very comfortable!!! I went to the hotel bar a few times and met some nice people from various places...bought a bottle of wine and took it back to my room. I even ordered room service one night. It was the first time I had ever done that....I felt like such a grown up.

I had brunch with my cousins Peggy and Cathy....that is becoming an annual thing too! It was great to catch up with them again.

Of course there was the annual Cumberland Company reunion. It is always wonderful to see those friends. Unfortunately this year the fire department didn't show up.

And just like the previous visit to RI, I was able to have lunch with some friends that I have known for years....about 26 (wow where does time go?)
The last few nights were spent at the Scarborough Beach Motel in Narragansett. The time I spend at the beach recharges my batteries! Walking on the shore with the sand in my toes...listening to the waves crash and watching the sunset over Galilee....these are some of the things I look forward to every year!

On my drive to the beach I went to Wickford. It is an adorable harbor town with cute shops and restaurants. I spent some time wandering through the shops and struck up a conversation with the owner of an art gallery. She and I had many things in common and it was just one of those karma kind of meetings.

Of course I ate at Chen's and went to George's. There are just some things that are a necessity when visiting RI.

My last morning in RI is always bittersweet. I had extra time to get to the airport because my flight left a little later in the day. I made one last trip to Dunkin Donuts and headed to the Sea Wall to watch the waves. There was little time left to soak up the sea air. I will be heading to RI again this year...it will be different though.... I may have company.
Next stop...Texas...but there's a story about that first! Stay Tuned!

I'm back...at least for today.

So, I was at work the other day and my friend Melissa told me she was bored the other evening so she read my blog....funny I thought...I have a blog? Oh right...that blog I started in 2009 and haven't written a word since February of 2010. She told me she enjoyed it...so I decided...hey, maybe I should read it, so I did. I enjoyed it too...brought back some memories and inspired me to start back up. But I'm sure after a few entries life will take over and I will be silent yet again...that is until someone reminds me again that I have a blog. Well, 2 actually.

WOW! It really has been a year since I've written anything, and oh what a year it's been. First the fact is I am now divorced. There, said, done, amicable, relatively quick and all my choice.

I did do a lot of traveling over the past 10 months. After I got separated the girls and I needed a weekend away. We headed to Myrtle Beach, relatively close and I got a good deal on priceline. The beach was lined with hotels which takes away the beauty and mystique of the ocean. At least the view from the balcony was beautiful.

We spent 2 nights and when we left Myrtle Beach we decided to take a slight detour and went to Charleston for lunch.

The next trip was to Florida to see my family for the 4th of July. It is always wonderful to spend time with my sisters and my dad. The girls enjoy their time with the cousins. Kailie brought her BFF Meggan so she had someone to hang out with.


In August I headed back down to Florida..this time without the girls. Way back in a previous post I mentioned going to an open cast call for The Next Food Network Star. While at the audition I met some really nice people and of course we all became friends on facebook. Well...Aria one of the folks I spent hours with while waiting our turn to be interviewed, ended up being cast on the show and made it to #4! It was so exciting watching every week, cheering her on....but anyway. She lives in Miami and had invited me and Christopher, another FN wanna be to spend a weekend. Of course we jumped at the chance and headed to South Florida. We had a blast!! Heard all about Aria's experience as a contestant on the Food Network...we ate great food...and I got to go to South Beach.
Aria was a gracious hostess! What a great weekend it was.
Well, I will continue my travel tales soon. I must say it feels good to blog again. But like working out it may be short lived...I hope not.